Aquarium backgrounds

[Grundy]

What is everyone's opinion on backgrounds (paper) on the back of the tank? If you like these do you prefer ones with patterns (plants, etc.) or solid colors?

[webcricket]

I like the generic plant and driftwood backgrounds. They are better than looking at my white wall or wires. My tanks are densely fake planted, so its not even really visible. Those solid blue backgrounds are nifty too, but I have not tried one yet. :cool:

[oscar83]

IMO backgrounds on tanks are just plain old dumb. ones with pictures of underwater life make the tank look silly and i dont like them, they look too fake. if anything a plain one color background is good. either blue or black usually work out well, they help to bring out the colors of your fish/corals.

[dorkfish]

I prefer solid or close to solid (only 2 or 3 colours) backgrounds or no background at all, although 2 of my tanks still have backgrounds of "underwater life", cause' I'm too lazy to take them off (function aways comes first with my tanks).

[BloodThirsty28]

I have a solid blue background.

[LIBPA]

I have a mirror behind mine, it looks good but i have to keep the tanks glass very clean so you get the illusion.

[DeRo316]

Laminated sheet of black paper.

[jkost]

What is everyone's opinion on backgrounds (paper) on the back of the tank? If you like these do you prefer ones with patterns (plants, etc.) or solid colors?i like solod black.i had my tank paited black on back and both sides.looks good.

[joylynn]

I don't mind backgrounds if they are subtle, my new tank has one with rocks, plants and driftwood all in very natural looking colors, nothing too bright. Looks alot better than the mauve paint in the room would as a background :)

[DaisyTattoo]

I like black backgrounds.

[psilo]

I love the picture backgrounds and use them in my biggest tanks though really the plants block most of the picture. I dont use any backgrounds though in my fry tanks.

[Jentry]

i've got a background in mine, it's loads of jungle plants, looks deadly....i just realised after i bought it that it's for a terrarium but i think it looks really good.better than lookin a the wallpaper behind it!
my bf has one thats just a load of rocks like a cliff or something, that looks cool too

[Jericho]

My tank was built with a black back... So I do not have a choice...

[KO Lo]

It depends on what color of fish you have, if your fish has a dark color you might consider a brighter background.
Usually a dark background works best for colorfull fish.

[Grundy]

I'll try to upload some pics - let me know what you guys think about backgrounds for my tank. Thanks!

[blkwdw13]

I would say either a black one or one with plants that kind of match the ones in your tank.

[tonytheboss1]

:cool: I have this background on my tank it's waterproof & self adhesive. http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products/KW/F05CX/Class/Aquarium+Backgrounds+Photos+Stick+On/T1/F05CX+0413+0014/EDP/40504/Itemdy00.aspx
The pics are cool. I know lots of folks who have no b/g at all. Guess it's just a preference.

[MDcrinos]

I went natural for years, gravel, dritwood, plants, and dark background. All had to have the most natural look I could get in a rectangular glass box. I had some awesome tanks! Man I was anal! :joke: The kids are getting interested now, and since they are only young and interested in anything you do for a short while I've found my tanks changing. I've got resin coral reefs and bubbles in my freshwater 40 gallon breeder, we are picking out items to turn the 55 into a mountain Asian village complete with stream, bridges, and houses. They are now hinting for a 10 gallon in their room with a Nick toons theme, "Sponge Bob". They are begining to look like the tanks I had as a kid.

Anyone remember the skeletons at the ship's wheel or with the rum jug that moved when you hooked up an air line?

So to get to the point, my backgrounds now are in theme or as bright as the kids can find! I'm finding that while I may not have chosen them myself, the fish nor I will mind in the long run.

I have also relearned a valuable lesson from my humble beginings before worrying about my chichlids pairing up or who I knew had the best looking fish and tank, keeping fish is fun. Fun for kids of all ages. Now I think that all that thinking you can recreate a slice of nature in a 10-20-40 gallon box is just pretense and ego.

Sorry, I'll shut up and put up my soap box now, before someone calls me a 13 year old troll. :joke:

[Hurley]

I have a black poster board on the back of my planted 20Gallon but on my other tanks I don't have a back ground. However, our basement is finished and when my parents bought the house the interior was modeled after a barn so everything was covered in this dark wood panaling. The upstairs has since been updated but the basement still has the rough barnyard siding. Behind the tanks it doesn't look half bad!

[Brody]

Painted black. Only way to go. :dance:

[Jericho]

My brother found some wrapping paper that looks cool. It is a green patern that almost looks like abstract plants. It makes his 10 gal look bigger than it is.

[fballguy]

What I do is buy the background I like first, then add decor that resembles the background. That way everything just blends together and looks natural.

My other thing I do is aluminum foil. It adds and interesting touch.

[Jadis]

ive secretly always wanted a background that was the surface of the moon

[matthewvl]

I've always had a thing for comtemporary styling. I think the scenic or oceanic backgrounds or the expensive stuff you pay for at the lfs look pretty cheesy unless its plain colored. For a long time, I've had this idea that blueprints on actual blueprint paper would look pretty cool. After finally coming across some, and some cutting and resizing, I put it back there and gives a different look. Heres a picture of it. Due to the lighting and my back picture taking skills and my outside glass being dirty, the picture doesnt do it justice becaues its been a big hit among my visitors. If this trend catches on, we will know who started it. :dance2:

[Caincando1]

My favorite of all time is the faded blue one. It fades form blue to dark blue almost black. I put it with the lighted shade of blue at the top so it fades to a dark blue almost black at the bottom. It's available at the lfs.

[Cfortunato]

Plain solid-color background. No background looks kind of cheesy, and the scenery should be in your tank.

[mandimoron]

I've been using a background with a picture of a heavily planted tank for mine. I tried solid black, and while it works for my betta tank, it just doesnt seem to cut it in the platy tank. I'm not sure why! I don't think it looks particularly tacky, since it seems to blend in pretty well. Or at least I think it does, and, since my fish don't seem to care either way, that's all that matters, as far as I'm concerned. :D

[fishcatch22]

my background pic on my 10g is of lots and lots of rocks with crypts and java ferns scattered throughout them.

[TheZoo]

ive secretly always wanted a background that was the surface of the moon

Oooh, nice!
The great thing about backgrounds (not painted on, of course) is that you can change them out without too much trouble. If you had or were going for a more abstract look you could use just about anything... enlargement of a favorite photo, scan and print a pattern from a shirt, xerox enlargements of a passage from a book.... Art is everywhere!

[Alestro Bakai]

I have a mirror behind mine, it looks good but i have to keep the tanks glass very clean so you get the illusion.

Personally, I like black. Fortunately, Nano Cubes come with black background, right outta the box, but mirror sounds like a great way to go as well.

[hle_81]

i prefer the solid blue/black background over the ones w/ plants on it. instead of buying a background at the lfs, i just go to walmart and buy a posterboard. looks good and only cost $1.

[RockabillyChick]

i paint the backs of my tanks black. makes it just fade away like there really isn't a back on it. i first used some black card stock to make sure i would like it, and once i lived with that for several months and did like it, i went and spraypainted it. my tanks are situated so that i didn't have to move them or empty them to spray paint, i just covered the tops and sides with plastic garbage bags.